Title 15
SECTION 744.21
744.21 Restrictions on certain 'military end use' or 'military end user' in the People's Republic of China, Russia, or Venezuela.
§ 744.21 Restrictions on certain 'military end use' or 'military end user' in the People's Republic of China, Russia, or Venezuela. Link to an amendment published at 86 FR 4873, Jan. 15, 2021.(a) General prohibition. In addition to the license requirements for items specified on the Commerce Control List (CCL), you may not export, reexport, or transfer (in-country) any item subject to the EAR listed in Supplement No. 2 to part 744 to the People's Republic of China (China), Russia, or Venezuela without a license if, at the time of the export, reexport, or transfer (in-country), you have “knowledge,” as defined in § 772.1 of the EAR, that the item is intended, entirely or in part, for a 'military end use,' as defined in paragraph (f) of this section, or 'military end user,' as defined in paragraph (g) of this section, in China, Russia, or Venezuela.
(b) Additional prohibition on those informed by BIS. BIS may inform you either individually by specific notice, through amendment to the EAR published in the Federal Register, or through a separate notice published in the Federal Register, that a license is required for specific exports, reexports, or transfers (in-country) of any item because there is an unacceptable risk of use in or diversion to a 'military end use' or 'military end user' in China, Russia, or Venezuela. Specific notice will be given only by, or at the direction of, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Administration. When such notice is provided orally, it will be followed by written notice within two working days signed by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Administration or the Deputy Assistant Secretary's designee. The absence of BIS notification does not excuse the exporter from compliance with the license requirements of paragraph (a) of this section.
(1) 'Military End-User' (MEU) List BIS may inform and provide notice to the public that certain entities are subject to the additional prohibition described under this paragraph (b) following a determination by the End-User Review Committee (ERC) that a specific entity is a 'military end user' pursuant to this section and therefore any exports, reexports, or transfers (in-country) to that entity represent an unacceptable risk of use in or diversion to a 'military end use' or 'military end user' in China, Russia, or Venezuela. Such entities may be added to supplement no. 7 to part 744 - 'Military End-User' (MEU) List through Federal Register notices published by BIS, and will thus be subject to a license requirement for exports, reexports, or transfers (in-country) of items specified in supplement no. 2 to part 744. The listing of entities under supplement no. 7 to part 744 is not an exhaustive listing of 'military end users' for purposes of this section. Exporters, reexporters, and transferors are responsible for determining whether transactions with entities not listed on supplement no. 7 to part 744 are subject to a license requirement under paragraph (a) of this section. The process in paragraph this (b)(1) for placing entities on the MEU List is only one method BIS may use to inform exporters, reexporters, and transferors of license requirements under this section.
(i) End-User Review Committee (ERC). The End-User Review Committee (ERC), composed of representatives of the Departments of Commerce (Chair), State, Defense, Energy and, where appropriate, the Treasury, makes all decisions regarding additions to, removals from, or other modifications to the MEU List. Decisions by the ERC for purposes of the MEU List will be made following the procedures identified in this section and in supplement no. 5 to part 744 - Procedures for End-User Review Committee Entity List and 'Military End User' (MEU) List Decisions.
(ii) License requirement for parties to the transaction. The license requirement for entities listed in supplement no. 7 to part 744 applies to the export, reexport, or transfer (in-country) of any item subject to the EAR listed in supplement no. 2 to part 744 when an entity that is listed on the MEU List is a party to the transaction as described in § 748.5(c) through (f).
(2) Requests for removal from or modification of 'Military End User' (MEU) List. Any entity listed on the MEU List may request that its listing be removed or modified. All such requests, including reasons therefor, must be in writing and sent to: Chair, End-User Review Committee, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Room 3886, Washington, DC 20230. In order for an entity listed on the MEU List to petition BIS for their removal or modification, as applicable, the entity must address why the entity is not a 'military end user' for purposes of § 744.21.
(i) Review. The ERC will review such requests for removal or modification in accordance with the procedures set forth in supplement no. 5 to this part.
(ii) BIS action. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Administration will convey the decision on the request to the requester in writing. That decision will be the final agency action on the request.
(c) License exception. Despite the prohibitions described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, you may export, reexport, or transfer (in-country) items subject to the EAR under the provisions of License Exception GOV set forth in § 740.11(b)(2)(i) and (ii) of the EAR.
(d) License application procedure. When submitting a license application pursuant to this section, you must state in the “additional information” block of the application that “this application is submitted because of the license requirement in § 744.21 of the EAR (Restrictions on a 'Military End Use' or 'Military End User' in the People's Republic of China, Russia, or Venezuela).” In addition, either in the additional information block of the application or in an attachment to the application, you must include all known information concerning the 'military end use' and 'military end user(s)' of the item(s). If you submit an attachment with your license application, you must reference the attachment in the “additional information” block of the application.
(e) License review standards. (1) Applications to export, reexport, or transfer (in-country) items described in paragraph (a) of this section will be reviewed with a presumption of denial.
(2) Applications may be reviewed under chemical and biological weapons, nuclear nonproliferation, or missile technology review policies, as set forth in §§ 742.2(b)(4), 742.3(b)(4), and 742.5(b)(4) of the EAR, if the end use may involve certain proliferation activities.
(3) Applications for items requiring a license for any reason that are destined to China, Russia, or Venezuela for a 'military end use' or 'military end user' also will be subject to the review policy stated in paragraph (e)(1) of this section.
(f) Military end use. In this section, 'military end use' means: incorporation into a military item described on the U.S. Munitions List (USML) (22 CFR part 121, International Traffic in Arms Regulations); incorporation into items classified under ECCNs ending in “A018” or under “600 series” ECCNs; or any item that supports or contributes to the operation, installation, maintenance, repair, overhaul, refurbishing, “development,” or “production,” of military items described on the USML, or items classified under ECCNs ending in “A018” or under “600 series” ECCNs.
(g) Military end user. In this section, the term 'military end user' means the national armed services (army, navy, marine, air force, or coast guard), as well as the national guard and national police, government intelligence or reconnaissance organizations, or any person or entity whose actions or functions are intended to support 'military end uses' as defined in paragraph (f) of this section.
(h) Effects on contracts. Venezuela: Transactions involving the export, reexport, or transfer (in country) of items to or within Venezuela are not subject to the provisions of § 744.21 if the contracts for such transactions were signed prior to November 7, 2014.
[85 FR 23463, Apr. 28, 2020, as amended at 85 FR 83797, Dec. 23, 2020]